Madama Butterfly

Dubai Opera presents Puccini's immortal tragedy Madama Butterfly in an enchanting performance by the Hungarian State Opera on 12 & 13 September 2023.

Join us for the premiere performance of Madama Butterfly on September 12, where elegance meets artistry for an unforgettable evening of beauty and grace.

Dress code: national dress/black tie/formal attire.

The sun rises on turn-of-the-century Nagasaki, where dashing American naval officer Pinkerton has chosen delicate Cio-Cio-san to be his bride. A naïve young geisha on the verge of womanhood, the clearly smitten and fiercely loyal "Butterfly" dismisses warnings of the lieutenant's ulterior motives. When betrayal inevitably strikes, and Butterfly must endure both shame and sorrow, she decides to take destiny into her own hands--leading to one of the most devastating and legendary final scenes in all of opera.

Puccini saw David Belasco’s one-act play Madame Butterfly: A Japanese Tragedy, inspired by an American short story and a French novel, in London in 1900.

The world premiere of Madama Butterfly was held at Milan’s La Scala, where it was a fiasco – probably due to insufficient rehearsal. Puccini revised the opera, which was performed again in May – this time with great success. The composer continued working on it though: he prepared three more versions, the fifth and final of which is the one performed worldwide today. It is the version the Hungarian State Opera also performs, in a production by director Miklós Gábor Kerényi, which has enjoyed success with audiences since 2000.

Don’t miss Puccini’s immortal tragedy at Dubai Opera!

https://www.opera.hu/

Conductor: János Kovács

Featuring the Hungarian State Opera Orchestra and Chorus

Cio-Cio-San Gabriella Létay Kiss (on the 12th), Kinga Kriszta (on the 13th)

Suzuki Erika Gál

Pinkerton Boldizsár László

Sharpless Zsolt Haja

Goro Zoltán Megyesi

Yamadori Barna Bartos

Kate Helga Nánási

The Bonze András Kiss

The Imperial Commissioner Máté Fülep

Librettist

Giuseppe Giacosa

Luigi Illica

Director

Miklós Gábor Kerényi

Set designer

Kentaur

Costume designer

Ilona Vágvölgyi

English subtitles

Arthur Roger Crane

Chorus director

Gábor Csiki